


This Love Came Back To Me

by NotLostAnymore



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Grocery Store, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Alternate Universe - Retail, Alternate Universe - World War II, Cameos, Crushes, Drabble, Drabble Collection, Drunk Dialing, Flirting, Fluff, Grocery Shopping, M/M, Minor Character Death, Mistaken Identity, Not really Mavin but whatever, Phone Calls & Telephones, Prompt Fic, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-14
Updated: 2015-03-05
Packaged: 2018-03-01 12:44:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2773418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotLostAnymore/pseuds/NotLostAnymore
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They're Ryan and Gavin. It was always going to happen. </p><p>A series of AU drabbles about Gavin and Ryan finding each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Mistaken Identity / Love Confession

**Author's Note:**

> Based off the tumblr prompt "called the wrong number and confessed my love to you in a sappy way before you could get a word in au" because it sounded cute!

"Don't hang up, please."

It may be four in the morning and therefore totally outside acceptable calling hours but Ryan hadn't been planning to hang up anyway even before the British voice gave him said instruction.

"I fucked up so bad and I know I don't deserve a second chance but-- but please, I need to make it up to you. I love you and maybe I'm crap at showing it but I really, really do." There's a sob between every other word and Ryan can't help but want to be there to hug the other even though he knows it's impossible. There's nothing he can possibly do to help.

"I th--" he starts but he's cut off by a loud sob and then the continuing begging from the other male.

"Please, don't. I know what you're going to say but don't. I can't live without you, please don't make me." The sniffle on the other end of the line makes Ryan wish he didn't have to say anything at all, that he could just drop everything and go to soothe the other's distress away.

"I'm sorry, I think you have the wrong number."

"Michael? Th-- this isn't funny."

"Sorry, I'm not Michael. Name's Ryan." He actually starts to feel a little guilty at this point.

"O-- oh." A pause. Bitter laughter breaks down the line. "Go figure. He moved on quick."

It takes Ryan a moment to realize he's put his foot in it. He thought he was being helpful but somehow he'd managed to make things worse if the other's broken sobs were anything to go by. "No, no! It's not what you think. I don't know Michael and this isn't his number. You must have misdialed or something."

More silence. Then, in a slurred voice: "Shit. I'm so sorry, mate. I must have- I dunno, I'm sorry. You probably didn't need to heat all that." Ryan can hear the humiliation in the British lad's voice and can't help but sympathize with him even though he has no idea what's going on.

"No, no, it's okay." There's a long, awkward pause. Ryan knows he should hang up but he doesn't. Instead, he finds himself saying something he knows is none of his business. "I hope you and Michael work it out," he starts, realizing quickly that he still doesn't know the other's name.

"Gavin. It's... it's Gavin," the other introduces himself as if he'd been reading Ryan's mind. "Again, I'm sorry. Let's just pretend this never happened. Sorry."

The line cuts off after that.

As he puts his cell phone back down on the bedside table, Ryan tells himself not to feel as disappointed as he strangely does. With an emotional British accent playing on repeat in his head, he settles back into bed and tries his hardest to stop himself from wondering what had happened between these two total strangers. It really shouldn't matter to him after all. He doesn't even realize that he's already saved Gavin's number onto his phone.


	2. Checkout Assistant AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryan is Gavin's favorite checkout assistant.

Gavin knew it was stupid to have a favorite checkout assistant at the grocery store but he couldn't help himself. He didn't mean to develop a crush for the boy with wavy hair and amazingly blue eyes, it had just sort of happened. He'd almost been too distracted by those perfect eyes to notice the other's name tag but that may have just made everything worse because now there was a name to the face and Gavin couldn't stop thinking about it.

Ryan. The name had been going around his head for days now, always accompanied by those eyes and that hair and that face... He was so hung up on a total stranger that it was ridiculous. If Michael ever found out about it he'd laugh at him for days and Gavin wouldn't even be able to defend himself because he knew how silly it was too. For one thing Ryan was almost certainly straight and even if he wasn't there was no chance he'd ever settle for a guy like Gavin when he could do so much better. In another life Ryan probably could have been a model and a could-be model was never going to lower their standards enough to be with Gavin.

As he approached the checkouts with a basket of items he probably didn't really need, Gavin felt his heart start to beat a little faster. There wasn't a queue at Ryan's till so he instinctively made his way over, breath catching in his throat as the other boy looked up and smiled at him.

"Back again, huh?" Ryan asked, his voice deep and like velvet in Gavin's ears. The Brit paused for a moment, words totally saying him. He always struggled to keep it cool in front of Ryan and the fact the other had noticed how often he was at the store only made him more nervous. What if Ryan thought he was a weird stalker or something?

_Well, he'd probably be right..._

"Uh yeah, Mum wanted some more stuff," Gavin lied in response, giving the other a sheepish smile as he unloaded the items onto the conveyor belt. Ryan just smiled in response and got to work scanning the items.

Gavin stood there in silence wishing he could find the courage to say something more but he was struggling to find his voice. Instead he stood there with his mouth hanging open, looking like a total idiot. Ryan glanced up at him, a small smile on his lips and Gavin found himself blushing a deep shade of scarlet. All he was doing was embarrassing himself but he couldn't help that! He was just terrible at talking to attractive people.

"My break's in half an hour," Ryan said finally, breaking the silence and catching Gavin by surprise, "You wanna get some lunch with me?"

It was a miracle Gavin didn't have a heart attack right then and there. Was it actually possible that Ryan was asking if he wanted to hang out with him? This had to be a joke, didn't it? This couldn't actually be a reality. "I, uh..." he slurred, fumbling in his pocket for his wallet and immediately dropping it straight on the ground. Ryan just laughed but to his credit it was with fondness rather than being mean like others might have been. "I think... are you sure?" Gavin asked as he straightened up, fidgeting nervously on the spot.

"Sure. Wait for me outside?" Ryan replied without even flinching. Was this actually a reality? Gavin was half convinced this was some kind of fever dream.

"O--okay then," he agreed, trying to steady his hand he passed over the cash. Their hands for a moment and Gavin took in a sharp breath, trying to ignore the heat in his cheeks as he blushed again.

"I'll see you in half an hour then, darlin'."

Gavin almost tripped over his own feet as he walked away.


	3. Waiting for Pizza AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin gets some company while he waits for his pizza.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based off the prompt "Waiting outside for pizza to be delivered and both of ours are super late AU" because I thought it was super cute!

Gavin was pretty sure that the point of a delivery service was that they were actually supposed to deliver the goods and yet he'd been stood outside waiting for his pizza for the past fifteen minutes. He'd been assigned collection duty by the rest of his student house and considering his phone had gone walkabouts shortly after ordering he'd had to stand outside in the cold waiting for the pizza man to turn up.

Something unexpected happened next though: he received some unexpected company out on the sidewalk. Blinking in surprise, he spared a glance at the man who had joined him and tried not to feel a little nervous. Mr Haywood had been his neighbor since the start of term and Gavin had been crushing on him since day one. He knew he wasn't the only one either and it was easy to see why, Mr Haywood was powerfully built with hair that unravelled in perfect waves and the less that was said about those eyes the better. Gavin physically had to swallow his nerves because he wasn't sure he'd be able to speak.

"Waiting for pizza?" Mr Haywood asked, breaking the silence.

"Uh-- yeah. Big delivery coming. What about you?" Gavin replied, doing his best to keep his voice steady even though his heart had started doing some kind of samba inside his chest.

"Same. Too lazy to cook. I should probably be eating the leftover enchiladas but pizza was just too tempting..."

Just talking about food made Gavin's stomach rumble. These pizzas were taking far too long to arrive but now he had been joined by the handsome man next door he wasn't sure he was in such a hurry anymore. "I love a good enchilada."

There was a slight pause before: "You should come round some time then. I'm pretty good at making them."

For a moment it felt like the world had stopped turning. Gavin knew the other man was probably only being polite but still - what the hell?! His heart had totally skipped a beat and he was totally lost for words, staring stupidly at the older man.

"I'm Ryan by the way," the man finally introduced himself, holding out his hand. It took Gavin a few moments to even register the movement and then he quickly moved to shake it. Ryan's grip was strong like it could easily crush Gavin's hand if he wanted to. Knowing that the older man had that kind of strength really turned Gavin on but that was the last thing he should be thinking about at that moment because he knew it would end up showing and then things would get even more awkward.

"Uh, I'm Gavin," he mumbled in response, pulling his hand back and giving him a weak smile. What was he supposed to say now?

Luckily he didn't have to think of anything because the pizza delivery man finally turned up to do his job. As he loaded three different large pizzas into Gavin's arm, the student felt his cheeks flush a little at the grin Ryan was giving him. "There's a lot of us. It's not all for me," he explained quickly, feeling more than a little sheepish.

With one unsteady hand on the pizzas, Gavin used the other to fish around in his pocket for the money the house had amassed together only to find Ryan handing over more money than he needed to for his single medium pizza. "There, I paid for yours," he explained, turning to Gavin as the pizza man left a lot quicker than he arrived. Gavin just started, dumbstruck.

"Friday's enchilada night. Dress nice." And then, with a wink and a smile, Ryan turned and walked back to his house. Jaw slightly slack, Gavin watched him go in uttermost surprise and confusion.

"Th-- thanks then," he said finally, only just remembering his manners as Ryan give him a final smile and closed the door. "What the fuck." His housemates were never going to believe this.


	4. Retail Workers AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin has a crush on his manager. Michael and Ray find out.

Working in retail had never exactly been much fun but there was just something about night shifts that made them suck extra hard. Maybe it was the lack of sleep or the ridiculously long hours or the fact Gavin was seriously judging anybody who was out shopping at two in the morning. Seriously, who did that?

Gavin had been folding towels for a full forty minutes when he was joined by Michael, his best friend both in and out of work. Somehow they already got stuck on these shifts together and a part of Gavin wondered if it was the management team trying to be nice by keeping the friends together. No, that was silly. The management team were never nice to him, that's why he was on these ridiculous shifts in the first place.

"Alright boi?"

"Hey Micoo," Gavin mumbled in response, smiling lazily at his best friend. Michael was pretty much the best thing about these shifts, he made them somewhat bearable even through the long slog of complete silence in the store. Most of the time they only had about five customers an hour and for a big store like theirs was there really any point in them staying open? Unfortunately Gavin didn't get much of a say when it came to their opening times and he likely never would. Gavin had been told more than once that he wasn't 'manager material', whatever the hell that was.

"You hit the wall yet?" Michael asked, quirking an eyebrow as he glanced over at him. There was a certain point of the night where they just seemed to lose all sense of sanity and started to chat shit. Not that their usual discussions ever made any sense but things got weirder and funnier until they were practically passing out in the store which was an easy thing to do when you were stuck folding towels.

None of them seemed to hit that wall as hard as Gavin did.

Turning robotically, he looked Michael straight in the eye and asked, "Do you reckon towels can have feelings?" Michael fell apart within seconds, roaring with laughter. It was probably a good thing they didn't have many customers because Michael definitely wouldn't have scared them off with his barks of laughter.

"No they don't have feelings you fuckin' idiot!" Michael all but shrieked, his eyes already wet with laughter. To his credit Gavin laughed along with him but was it really that daft of a question? There was no real way to tell if inanimate objects had feelings, was there?

Deciding it was best to just shrug it off, Gavin returned to folding the towels and did it as careful as he possibly could. What if they don't like being folded? Yeah, he had definitely hit the wall.

They continued in silence for a while, Michael shuffling around and pretending to look busy even when there really wasn't much to do. It was either keeping Gavin company folding towels or tucking the laces into shoes and he knew which one he'd rather do. Delerious Gavin was a lot more fun than driving himself to insanity by repeating the same mundane task over and over... kind of like what always happened to Gavin.

"I think I'm in love with Ryan."

Michael straight up dropped the stack of towels he was holding. "What the fuck?!" was all he could say, too surprised and confused to say anything else. He started at Gavin, jaw slack as he wondered if his best friend truly had gone insane. Ryan was one of the management team and he was easily in his thirties so what the hell was Gavin even saying? Wasn't Gavin supposed to be straight and if not, how had he not known this already?!

"I-- what?" Gavin turned to him as if snapping out of a daydream, brow furrowing in confusion. He looked every inch as confused as Michael was in that moment.

"You just said you were in love with Ryan. With Ryan!"

Gavin's face flushed the deepest shade of scarlet imaginable. "I did?" he asked meekly, frozen to the spot in panic. "I was joking!" he suggested quickly, trying to cover his tracks.

"Bullshit. Why didn't you tell me you were gay?" Michael asked, feeling just a little bit hurt that his best friend had never confided it in him before. They were supposed to share all of their secrets, that's what best friends did! "Besides, I thought you liked Meg!"

There was no point in lying and Gavin knew it. What he didn't know was why he'd blurted out what he had because while it was totally true it wasn't something he had planned on mentioning to Michael or anybody ever. Ryan was his boss and maybe he wasn't the big boss but he was still in a position of authority and nothing could ever happen between them anyway.

"I'm not gay, I'm bi," Gavin explained, avoiding Michael's eyes after seeing the hurt in them. This really wasn't how he'd wanted to come out. Hell, he hadn't wanted to ever come out because the only guy he'd ever really liked was Ryan and that was so many kinds of forbidden. "Meg and I sort of cooled down," he continued, "And Ryan..." Suddenly words started to fail him and he trailed off into silence, busying himself in folding towels again.

"He's Ryan though. Ryan the manager guy!" Michael continued, not ready or willing to let it go. "That's just... wow. I think I'm still in shock." This definitely wasn't what he had expected when he'd come into work that evening.

They fell into an awkward silence for a few moments and Gavin kept himself focused on his work for once in his life, unable to look at his best friend. Luckily the silence didn't last long as they were joined by yet another bored employee, their friend Ray.

"What's going on here, bitches?" he asked, flashing them a big grin that quickly dropped when he saw their expressions.

Before Gavin could stop him, Michael was already blurting out the truth: "Gavin's crushing on Ryan."

"The manager guy?"

"The manager guy."

Gavin really fucking hated both of them in that very moment. Not literally, of course, because he wasn't sure he could actually hate anybody let alone his two best friends in the world, but he hadn't wanted them knowing. This was something that was supposed to have stayed secret forever until he could leave this place and move on from the dumb crush he had on his manager.

"Holy shit, dude. Since when were you gay?"

"That's what I said!"

"I'm not gay!" Gavin repeated, feeling a little aggravated.

"I think the lady doth detest too much."

"Don't be an asshole, Ray." Even when he was being an ass Michael still had Gavin's back. That was nice to know, even if it didn't feel like it in that moment. Gavin just wanted to be left alone to folding his towels but he knew there was absolutely no chance of that happening anymore.

"What's going on here?" Another member of staff had joined them at some point but Gavin wasn't quite sure when. He just sighed, shaking his head as he continued to face away from the rest of them.

"Gavin has a crush on Ryan the manager guy." Ray had spoken without thinking before even turning around to see who the new arrival was. When he did, he froze dramatically. Michael quickly followed suit.

"Aw, shit."

Gavin couldn't help himself, he had to look around. As he turned to see who Ray had just blurted his secret out to though, he started to wish that he hadn't. In fact, he was wishing that he'd just called in sick to work and then he wouldn't be in this position with the aforementioned Ryan staring at the three of them.

"I'm getting back to work," Ray declared suddenly before grabbed Michael by the arm and fled the scene of the crime. Michael glanced over his shoulder back at Gavin but the Brit was too preoccupied staring at his manager in abject horror. His skin had lost all color and he couldn't remember the last time he'd let himself breathe   
because FUCK.

For a few moments, Ryan just stared at him with a small frown on his face. Gavin had to look away, choosing to stare at the other man's feet rather than his face. "Is that true?" Ryan finally asked, his deep voice sending a ripple through Gavin. Every little thing Ryan did affected him to his core and he just really wished it wouldn't. He was honestly just surprised nobody had caught him out on his crush before because he'd always blushed whenever Ryan had looked his way and had struggled to reply when in a one-on-one conversation with him.

Gavin tried to speak, to lie and say that Ray had just been joking but all that came out was a pathetic little squeak that made him sound like a mouse. Bowled over by nerves, Gavin didn't even realize he was nodding until he saw the smile spreading over Ryan's lips.

"Can you keep a secret, Gavin?

Another nod.

"I know a really good pizza place in town. That is... if you'd be interested?"

Gavin just blinked, not quite taking in the words that had just been speaking. Was Ryan really asking him out on a date or was it just wishful thinking? No, this was definitely happening.

"Please, don't feel pressured if you don't--"

"No, no! I do, I really do!" Gavin cut across, springing back to life. He wasn't about to let this opportunity slip through his fingers like what happened so often in his dreams. "I think pizza sounds great."

Ryan's lips spread into a big smile and Gavin's heart immediately did backflips, startled by just how amazing the older man looked in that moment. He'd always known that Ryan was incredibly handsome but this was just outright unfair. Nobody was allowed to look that good all the time, were they? "You finish at five, right?" Gavin nodded. "I can stick around for the extra hour and we'll go straight there. How does that sound?"

"Sounds like a dream come true."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm currently coming down with a cold so this may not be my best work. Hope you guys still like it!


	5. World War II AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bastogne was cold. Too cold.

_December, 1944._

Bastogne was cold. Too cold.

They all knew why they were there. If the Nazis took control of the crossroads at Bastogne then too much would be at risk and everything they'd worked for since D-Day would be in jeapordy. They had been camping out in the snowy forests outside the town and had been suffering in silence against the cold, wintery conditions. Nobody had been prepared for the conditions they would face when they got there, they had no winter jackets and were very quickly running out of rations and ammunitions. There had been more than a few grumbles that they would probably never leave the forest alive and in all honesty Staff Sergeant Ryan Haywood was starting to believe them.

He had heard his superiors mutter in frustration about their lack of preparation for these conditions and he had heard his men's concerns about their mortality. The enemy was waiting for them on the other side of the trees and he wasn't sure they'd ever been so close with absolutely no progress. They'd been at a complete standstill for what felt like months even though it couldn't be any longer than a fortnight. Ryan had barely kept track of the days but he knew one thing for certain: it was now Christmas Day.

He had agreed on taking the first watch with Corporal Jones and things had been happily quiet. Ryan wasn't sure if he was the only person keeping track of the days but hopefully in the knowledge that it was Christmas Day they would have some peace for a change. He could still remember a story his father had told him about the Great War when the two sides had called a temporary truce for a game of soccer in No Man's Land. Ryan didn't exactly see a repeat performance happening here but it was definitely a nice thought.

Finally they had been relieved from watch duty by Staff Sergeant Pattillo and Private First Class Denecour. They both seemed to be in good spirits when they arrived which was a surprise considering how defeated most people had been acting as of late. Corporal Jones just grumbled at Denecour's enthusiasm and pushed past on his way back to his foxhole. Ryan stayed a little longer to wish them both a merry Christmas before moving on to check on his men in their own foxholes.

Quickly and silently he moved between the too-small holes, smiling fondly at the sleeping forms of his men. Corporal Navarez and Private Jenzen were pressed together in one while he could have sworn that Privates Bragg and Dooley were practically cuddling. Any other staff sergeant might give them shit for it but considering how cold it was Ryan really couldn't blame them. In fact he encouraged his men to share body warmth otherwise they'd all end up freezing to death and their company would be down even more members than they currently were.

Finally he made his way to the last foxhole and his smile drooped slightly when he saw a single man in it alone, barely covered by a thin blanket and shaking like mad. Their standard issue army uniforms were never going to be enough to protect them from the chill in the air and seeing PFC Gavin Free so clearly affected by it made Ryan feel sympathetic. Gavin had lost his best friend Corporal Gruchy at Nuenen and since then he'd been a totally different person. He'd always been a cocky little shit and a pain in Ryan's ass but losing Corporal Gruchy had turned Gavin into a shell of his former self. He never let his feelings show and followed orders without complaint which would sound like a dream soldier to anybody but Ryan. It was only a matter of time before the feelings eating at Gavin from inside made him do something stupid and get himself killed. He wasn't prepared to lose another man, not after he'd lost so many already.

Before Ryan had even put proper thought into what he was doing Ryan jumped down into the hole next to the young man and spread the blanket out over the both of them. When they were both appropriate covered he wrapped his arm around Gavin's shaking shoulders and pulled him in tight to his side. It took a moment for Gavin to properly stir and then his green eyes were looking up at him in surprise.

"Staff Sergeant?" he asked quietly, his voice cracked and laced with confusion. In fact the confusion was written all over his face, clearly not expecting such a display of comfort from the non-commisioned officer who had previously spent so long chiding him for his reckless behavior. Ryan knew when a man was struggling though and right now Gavin needed somebody to be there for him so he was prepared to be that person. He had a duty to fulfill that role. 

"Can't have you freezin' to death out here," he mumbled in response, making sure to keep his voice low. It was a quiet night, too quiet, and Ryan didn't want to be the one to alert the enemy to their presence. Any amount of noise felt like too much so he wasn't going to risk it if he could. The less deaths he had to be responsible for the better as he was already feeling the deaths of Corporal Gruchy and others weighing down on his shoulders. God only knew how many more he would be feelings by time this god forsaken war was over.

Gavin seemed to relax more after that, fitting in comfortably against his superior officer's side. "Thank you, sir," he mumbled against Ryan's uniform jacket, earning a small smile from the older man. There was very little to smile about these days but knowing that he could still bring comfort, no matter how little, to somebody filled him with a little bit of hope. If they just stayed strong and supported each other then maybe they'd be able to make it through this war alive.

Hell, Ryan just wanted to make sure Gavin made it out alive. The boy deserved that much at least. He was still so young and he'd already lost so much. He needed to be back home with his family so he could get some peace rather than shivering to death in the mud like he was. That was true of all the men though, they deserved so much better than this and yet here they all were. They knew what they were doing it for though and it wasn't something they could turn their backs on. They had to keep going because nobody else could. It was up to them and they couldn't let their families and friends down.

"Are we ever gonna get out of Bastogne, Staff Sergeant?" Gavin asked, his fragile voice breaking through the silence and pulling Ryan out of his thoughts. He looked down at the sandy-haired boy, conflict racing through his mind and across his face. What was he supposed to say to that when he didn't know the answer himself? He didn't want to lie and fill the other male with false hope but at the end of the day wasn't that preferable to crushing his spirit once and for all?

"We will," he said finally before repeating himself in a more confident tone, "We will. I'm gonna make sure of it." His grip around the other tightened somewhat and he lowered his head slightly, their helmets clanking softly as they rested against one another. "Try and get some sleep, Private Free," he instructed the other softly, sinking further into the foxhole as he spoke. They were both in need of some good rest and all they could try and do was find some warmth in their awkward embrace.

"Yes, Staff Sergeant."

"Oh, and one other thing."

Gavin looked straight at him them, expression vulnerable and innocent. For a fleeting moment Ryan thought he was the most beautiful thing he'd ever laid his eyes on in his entire life. Instead of telling him that he settled for something more simple:

"Merry Christmas, Gavin."

"You too... Ryan."

They were asleep within minutes. For the first time in weeks Gavin had a good night's sleep and didn't wake up thrashing around in his foxhole reaching for the best friend he would never be able to to hold onto again. Instead he found Ryan there, smiling down at him with a look of fondness that Gavin had never expected to see on his Staff Sergeant's face.

After that it became a habit for the two men to share a foxhole. Nobody questioned it and nobody complained. It just worked and it helped get them through the war knowing they could always find comfort in the other's arms. What more could they ask for?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for any historical inaccuracies in this fic, please feel free to point them out to me so I can change them!As per always you can request drabbles on my tumblr (sledgeroe) if you'd like!
> 
> MERRY CHRISTMAS, GUYS!


	6. "Tee Shirt" Songfic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin steals Ryan's favorite tee shirt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on the Birdy song "Tee Shirt" from the Fault In Our Stars soundtrack. It's always reminded me of Freewood so of course I had to write a thing!

The first thing Ryan noticed as he woke up was that the curtains were open and he was already being blinded by the light of the sun.

The second was that his favourite tee shirt was missing from where he’d left it the night before. Maybe it was anal of him but he liked to plan what he was going to wear the next day – although it was never anything more complicated than cargo pants and a tee shirt – and have them ready waiting for him on the chair across the room. Today though, only his cargo pants were there. The plain navy tee shirt he’d selected for the day, the one that he wore probably more than he should, was missing.

The third was that Gavin was no longer in his bed. This was the strangest occurrence of the three as Ryan honestly couldn’t remember the last time Gavin had been awake before him, let alone out of bed. The Brit was definitely not a morning person so his absence underneath the covers was something of an alarming mystery to Ryan.

A quick investigation around the house came up with no results until he saw the note on his kitchen counter. It was written in a scribble that he recognized to be Gavin’s and read a simple: _c u @ work._ The text talk made Ryan want to cry but he was too busy being mystified by Gavin’s sudden urge to get to work early to dwell on it for too long.

After picking a dark green shirt he usually reserved for days when his navy shirt was in the rush, Ryan grabbed his keys and took off for work. That was another question – how the hell had Gavin gotten from their apartment to work? Had he actually walked somewhere for once in his life? That really didn’t sound much like his boyfriend.

When he entered the Achievement Hunter office after taking a ridiculously long time to find a parking spot outside Stage 5, Ryan found that his questions were answered just by looking at Gavin. The gawky Brit gave him a sheepish smile but for once it wasn’t his face that Ryan was looking at – it was the oversized navy shirt that he was wearing.

“Yeah, we’ve told him he looks fuckin’ ridiculous,” Michael sniggered from the next seat over, causing Gavin to blush and sink back into seat more.

Ryan’s face just lit up into a smile. “I think he looks adorable,” he insisted, glancing up to meet his boyfriend’s eyes and smile.

 

* * *

 

Gavin starts sleeping in the tee shirt.

Ryan has no idea when it went from one of his favourite shirts to his favourite item of Gavin’s clothing but every time he saw the boy wrapped up in the too-large shirt he finds himself smiling and his heart beating a little bit faster.

It’s all he can think about, Gavin curled up in their bed having sweet dreams while wearing the stolen tee. More than once the rest of the AH crew make jokes at his expense when they catch him staring off into the distance and smiling stupidly but Gavin never does. Gavin just blushes and gives him a quick kiss on the cheek.

He suggests that Ryan takes one of his favourite tee shirts too. They can’t find one that fits. It doesn’t stop Ryan from wearing it to the office one day just so Gavin can get flustered whenever he sees him. It’s worth the laughter.

Of course it is. It’s for Gavin so it’s always worth it.

**Author's Note:**

> I'll be doing more RTAH drabbles in future chapters so subscribe if you want to see them! Expect a lot of Freewood and Ryan/Lindsay BFF times.


End file.
